I’m celebrating the release of the audiobook version of ESSENTIALS OF MURDER today!
Scroll down below for a chance to win an Amazon gift card and an ebook copy of Essentials of Murder.
Click on the graphic to visit Tantor Audio’s page for retail links.
About Essentials of Murder:
After a scandalous arrest in San Francisco, Carissa Carmichael has moved back to her small Southern California hometown to start over as she opens her Aromatherapy Apothecary shop and reflexology services. A tourist destination, Oak Creek Valley, seems the perfect place to put the past behind her, but it seems no one will let her forget. When she finds the man who threatened to drive her out of business murdered in her shop, Carissa becomes the primary suspect, especially when her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon. Despite her father’s position as Oak Creek Valley’s chief of police, most townspeople assume she’s guilty.
Refusing to run again, Carissa knows she must prove her innocence to save her shop and save her father’s career when the investigating detective turns his focus on her. With suspects acting as slippery as the essential oils she distills, it’s up to Carissa to apply pressure and sniff out the truth before it’s too late.
Includes essential oil, reflexology tips, and a recipe!
The one and only recipe in the book is Jasper’s Triple Chocolate Rolls. My protagonist, Carissa, swoons over these decadent rolls, and visits Jasper’s patisserie every day not only to get her favorite goodie but to see the delectable baker himself. While these triple chocolate rolls have a lot of ingredients and steps, if you’re looking for a truly memorable breakfast or tea time treat for a special occasion, these are worth the effort! Scroll down for an excerpt from Essentials of Murder centered around these drool-worthy rolls.
These sinfully decadent chocolate rolls are Carissa’s favorite treat at Jean-Luc Patisserie and the proprietor, Jasper, makes sure he always has some on hand to tempt her to visit. While these may be labor intensive, Carissa would agree they are worth the effort to make if she couldn’t buy them from Jasper.
- 2/3 cup milk, 2% or whole
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup milk, 2% or whole
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- 3-1/2 cups (478 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 package 2-1/4 teaspoons yeast (rapid-rise or instant)
- 1/4 cup (53 grams) granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (77 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (154 grams) brown sugar, packed
- 6 tablespoons (77 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (112 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (112 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (112 grams) semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
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Whisk the milk and flour together in a medium bowl until smooth. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Remove bowl and whisk vigorously. Return to microwave and heat for another 30 seconds. It should thicken to a stiff paste. Whisk until smooth. If mixture isn’t thick, heat in 15 second increments, whisking after each cycle, until thick paste forms.
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Whisk 2/3 cup milk into the thick flour paste until smooth. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
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Using a dough hook, add the egg and egg yolk, then slowly add the yeast and flour. Mix until flour is incorporated, and the mixture turns into a mass of dough.
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Stop the mixer and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
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With the mixer speed on medium and, using the dough hook, add sugar and salt to the dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Add butter and continue to knead an additional 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. (Dough will be sticky.)
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
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While the dough rises, whisk all the ingredients together until combined. Pour into the bottom of a greased 13 x 9-inch or you can use a 12-inch round metal baking pan. Spread the topping to the edges and set aside.
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About 30 minutes before dough is done rising, melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter. You can use a double-boiler or microwave at 50 percent power in 30 second increments, stirring after each until melted. Refrigerate 30 minutes until firm.
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Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle top of dough with a light dusting of flour. Roll dough to form an 18 x 15-inch rectangle. The long side should be parallel to the edge of the counter.
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Stir the bittersweet chocolate mixture until it resembles frosting. Spread over surface of dough rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border at the top edge. Sprinkle chocolate filling with chocolate chips.
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Starting with the long end nearest the counter’s edge, loosely roll the dough into a log, toward the unfrosted edge. Use your hands to push in ends to create an even thickness as necessary.
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Place the log seam side down and slice into 12 rolls. Place, cut side down, into the coated pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until rolls are puffy, about 1 hour. The rolls should be touching after rising.
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Heat oven to 375 degrees (F).
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Remove plastic wrap and bake rolls on the middle rack for about 20 minutes. You may want to place a baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven to catch any drips from the chocolate rolls as they bake.
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Once the rolls are golden brown, cover loosely with foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes longer, until rolls reach at least 200 degrees at the center of the bread.
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Remove baking dish from oven, discarding foil. Run a knife along the edges of the pan. Place a large serving platter over the baking pan and carefully invert pan and platter. Remove pan and allow rolls to cool 15 minutes before serving.
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While these rolls take about 4 hours to make, a lot of the time is hands off, waiting for the rolls to rise.
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Be sure to use a metal baking pan, not glass or ceramic.
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When rolling the dough out into a rectangle, use a light hand with flour. The dough should remain a bit sticky.
I’m happy to offer two giveaways to celebrate the audiobook release! First is a $10 Amazon gift card and the second is an ebook copy of ESSENTIALS OF MURDER. Contest ends June 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter boxes located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Excerpt from Essentials of Murder:
“Here. It’s on the house.” Jasper handed me the cup of coffee. “Should I plate up your usual?”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” My usual…a sinful Triple Chocolate Roll, probably a thousand calories in a delectable, melt-in-your-mouth, pastry. My mouth watered and I couldn’t resist. Despite Mari’s nudging, I’d treat myself today and promised to eat healthier the next day.
I sat down at a small, round bistro table.
Jasper filled another mug with coffee and brought the plate and mug over to the table. After setting the plate in front of me, he sat down and took a sip of his coffee. “You’re out and about early this morning if you can’t get into your shop.”
He wanted gossip, which was just the opening I needed. Except what I really needed first was a bite of the roll sitting in front of me, with its melty chocolate oozing down the sides. A moan might have escaped my lips when I bit into the sinfully delicious treat, and I closed my eyes to fully appreciate the bittersweet chocolate that mingled with the sticky, sweet topping.
When I opened my eyes, his gaze was locked on me, and his huge smile showed perfectly straight, white teeth. “Thanks, Carissa. You just made my day. I’ve never seen anyone enjoy my roll quite as much as you.”
Heat flooded my body from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. I hadn’t meant to show my enjoyment in such a public manner. “Err, well, your rolls and all your pastries are the best I’ve ever tasted.”
“Like I said, you’ve made my day.” He took another sip of coffee, his gaze never straying from my face. “Where are you headed off to so early this morning?”
What was the best way to word it so he wouldn’t think I was hitting on him? Especially after my PDA with the pastry. “Um, I actually came to see you. There’s something I want to ask you.”
Jasper leaned forward. “Okay?”
“You mentioned the other day about not being surprised someone killed Russ. Can you tell me what you meant?” I was getting more flustered by the moment.
He didn’t move away from me, and we ended up in a staring contest. I finally blinked and looked out the window. When I turned back, he had relaxed into the chair and held his coffee mug.
“My customers like to talk, so I hear all sorts of things.” He gestured around his empty patisserie. “Such as you had a lot of reasons to kill Russ.”
“No! I mean, I didn’t. I wouldn’t. That’s not what happened.” Shut up already, Carissa.
He laughed a deep, sexy laugh that made my stomach drop. “I’m positive you’re not a killer.”
It wasn’t smart to ask, but I couldn’t help it. “How do you know that?”
He sat his coffee mug down and closed the narrow space that separated us. “Anyone who can enjoy my chocolate rolls the way you do can’t possibly have it in them to do something like that.”
The ebook version of Essentials of Murder is only $0.99!
Click on book to visit book retailers’ links
Yesterday featured my inaugural debut post over at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen! Stop by and enter for another chance to win a copy of ESSENTIALS OF MURDER and get the recipe for my Lemon-Lavender Sandwich Cookies!
Click on graphic to visit Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen
Book looks and sounds like a good read would like to read in print form can always use gift cards too also thanks for recipe really looks yummy in the tummy
Sounds like a story I will enjoy reading.
This looks like a lovely cousin to a chocoalte babka.